July 31, 2008

No Snit Binding Tutorial

Drum roll, please. I am preparing to write my first ever rootie-tootie tutorial...No Snit Binding! I'm not certain I know anything new on the subject. I will share what I know, though. Here it is...My thimble-ful of knowledge on how to bind an edge using your machine.

Before we start, here are some tidbits of truth:

I am using a Bernina Activa 240.

I use my walking foot whenever I put binding on with my machine.

I eat at least one Snicker bar before I attempt this manuever. Just kidding, I actually eat two! Just kidding, again.

Heather Bailey's website has a most excellent tutorial on a continuous binding with mitered corners. You can find it here. I did not include any information on how to do these two things in my tutorial. (Warning: Heather's tutorial is a different method of binding. It is finished by hand. I direct you to this tutorial because the mitered corner and continuous binding instructions rock.)

The machine settings I am using work with one layer of batting similar in weight to Warm and Natural cotton batting.

This tutorial assumes you know how to cut binding strips and attach them together to make a strip long enough for your project. Again, Heather's tutorial has this information if you need it.

Finally, this will not make you happy, but, as with all things, practice makes perfect (or almost perfect). I think I had to make five or six sets of potholders before I was completely content with the results. I know, I know, that's not what you want to hear. The good new is that you don't have to figure out the settings on your machine. Hopefully, I have done that for you. Maybe you will only have to make a few projects to master snit-free binding. My fingers are crossed for you!

Ok, girlfriends. Hold on tight. Here we go...

STEP 1: Stitch around the unfinished edge of your project using a skinny 1/4" seam.

STEP 2: Cut a two-inch binding strip long enough to go around your project. Iron the strip in half with wrong sides of fabric facing each other. Open the strip and iron one side of the binding strip up to the crease you just created in the center of your binding (see photo below for a picture of a finished strip).

Step 3: Adjust your machine's needle position 3 button pushes to the right. (I told you that my methods are wonky and not real technical. LOL!) As best as I can tell, each button push moves the needle 1/32 of an inch. I moved my needle 3/32", or a skinny 1/8". I hope those measurements help those of you who are not sewing on a Bernina.

FYI---If your batting is a thicker weight, move your needle all the way over to the right. If you are not using any batting, or the batting is really thin, move the needle only one or two punches to the right.

Step 4: On the BACK side of the project, line up the raw, unfolded edge of the binding strip with the unfinished edge of the project. Leaving the needle three button pushes to the right, stitch the binding strip to your project as if you were creating a 1/2" seam. Here is where Heather's tutorial on mitered corners and continous binding comes in handy.

Step 5: Bring the folded edge of the binding to the front of the project. Pin the folded edge of the binding a teeny, tiny smidge over the seam line you just created so that you can no longer see the seam. Pin, pin, and pin again. I am not typically a pinning kind of girl. In fact, I hate to pin. But in this case, you need to pin, pin, pin. Was I clear? Pin it up, girlfriend (or guyfriend)!

Step 6: Put your project in your machine so the folded edge of the binding lines up with the inside of the left toe of your walking foot (see photo below). Adjust your needle postition so that the needle is just inside the edge of the fold on the binding you just pinned down. The position on my machine is two button pushes (1/16") left of center. This needle position is easy to figure out by sight.

Step 8: Stitch around your project. Keep the folded edge of the binding lined up with the inside edge of the left toe of your walking foot.

Good luck, friends. I know there are other, and possibly easier, ways to do this. Hopefully, though, this tutorial will save at least one of you from the temptation to throw your scissors at your machine and say naughty words in your head or perhaps out loud (gasp!). If you have questions, I would be happy to answer them.

Comments

WooHoo!!! Thanks for sharing your secrets! I have tried this method before but without much success -- I think I must be falling short on the pin, pin, pin step -- I've tended to pin sparsely and wing it. I'll try again! (Do you suppose my real problem could be that I'm sewing on a Viking instead of a Bernina LOL?) Those potholders are adorable btw and now you have another pair! THANK YOU for sharing your excellent and perfect technique with us!!!

Your tutorial rocks and so do YOU! Thank you ever so much, Cassie, for your loverly email advising me of your tutorial, and your wonderful instructions here. My only problem is I don't own a Bernina - I have a Viking! I don't know how well this will translate to my machine, but I'm sure gonna give it a try. Thank you for sharing!

Very cool. I think it has more to do with where you line up the edge when pinning, by going just a smidge over that line, you seem to be sewing again on that line and then it makes the back just catch the edge and look fabulous! I'll try it next time I have something simple to make.

Thank you Cassie! I'm a Viking seamstress too, so I'll have to fiddle around with the needle positioning, but just knowing that tidbit might be helpful in perfect snit-free binding. I'm so glad you heard the pleas of your readers. Love your blog.

Cassie,
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your super binding method. I'm still trying to find a way that makes me happy LOL. I am going to give yours a try and see how it goes.
Another Viking girl here and I can only find 2 needle positions at the moment but I'm going to do some playing around while I have peace and quiet at home.
thanks again, I love your blog
;-)
Ana

Thanks for sharing that fabulous no snit border. I love the snit bit hehehehe. I intend to try this today as I have been wanting to do machine borders like this for awhile now but just didnt get my brain into gear to work it out properly. So thanks for making it all clear.

This is brilliant! Thank you for posting such a wonderful tutorial (I was very envious of your beautiful bindings on other projects you have posted, so I am thrilled that you put this up so I can *try*!)

I have a Viking for all you viking sewers
and I have always done my quilt bindings this way, viking machine adjusts the needle just great!!
Am officially hooked on this great blog!
Inspires me to start my own, so fun,
thank you once more!!
Fell like I have made a new friend!!
ON CROCHET PILLOWSLIP EDGES:
I am wanting to make some of those
older vintage edges of yesteryear, the 2-3"
ones with the beautiful designs,
any ideas on where to find patterns??
Thanks!

I have been so frustrated with my machine binding. While I can't eat the snickers before I start (for healthy reasons) and I didn't really want to hear about practice, practice, practice, I'm smitten by the title of your tutorial and willing to give this a try. Thank you for your humor and great directions.

Hand sewing binding is something I hate. You did a great job showing how to get it neat and even. Thanks. Now I have about 4 quilts to put together and won't feel one ounce of guilt about not doing a blind hem, hand sewn binding.

Mine mom and I quilt alot and she taught me how to do machine binding, I have never seen the binding made this way! I am going to have to give it a try! I make 2.25 in binding and fold it over and iron it in half. I will be trying this method and share it with my mom!

I worship the ground that you walk on. LOLL I've always sewn my binding by hand and it has been putting strain on my eyes. After trying several methods by machine I wasn't happy with any of them until I found yours. It's perfect. I've just posted one of my projects and linked the tutorial back to you. Thanks so much.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I just started sewing and have been practicing binding making placemats and pot holders. My quilting is "acceptable", but the binding looks awful. I just tried your method and it is wonderful!! My placemat looks perfect (I wanted to cry I was so happy). Your instructions were so easy to follow. Again, thanks for sharing!

I always do mine by machine, as I cut my finger and have problems hand stitching. A trick I found to eliminate the pinning, once you stitch it on the back, you PRESS & STEAM your binding over and this gives you a nice clean tight edge and no pinning necessary, you can just nudge it with your fingers as needed.

Thank you…..thank you …thank you!
The binding is my favorite part of the finishing touches. I love the way it just ties everything together.
I am new to quilting and I was struggling with getting the seams to "line up" on the front and back. The result was less than satisfactory.